Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. are gone from the Commanders after a 5-12 season, AP source says

Coordinators Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. are both gone from head coach Dan Quinn’s staff with the Washington Commanders after a 5-12 season, a team official with knowledge of the moves told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the staff changes had not yet been announced.

Kingsbury, the offensive coordinator, and Whitt, who had been in charge of the defense until being stripped of play-calling duties during the season, both arrived in Washington with Quinn before the 2024 season.

According to the person who described Tuesday’s decisions to the AP, Quinn and Kingsbury met in the morning to talk about the future of the team’s offense, which stars quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Quinn and Kingsbury then mutually agreed to part ways, the official said.

Whitt was dismissed, which was not surprising given his earlier demotion and just how bad Washington’s defense was this season. One data point: No team in the NFL allowed opponents to gain more yards.

In another change, Bobby Johnson is out as Washington’s offensive line coach.

These switches come two days after the Commanders’ disappointing campaign ended, a far cry from a year ago, when Quinn’s first season in Washington included a 12-5 regular-season record, a run all the way to the NFC championship game and AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors for No. 2 overall draft pick Daniels.

But Daniels kept getting hurt this season, managing to start only seven games and getting shut down in December after a series of injuries to his left knee, right hamstring and left elbow.

“I love working with Kliff. Me and him have a special relationship. We’ve built that over the past two years,” Daniels said Monday, when players cleared out their lockers at the team facility in Ashburn, Virginia. “I wish I was out there more to play for him this past year.”

At their end-of-season joint news conference Monday, Quinn and general manager Adam Peters did not provide answers about possible changes to the coaching staff.

But Peters did make clear whose choices those would be.

“I’m not involved in whatever decision it is,” Peters said. “It’s always DQ’s call and I have his back on whatever he wants to do.”